The Teepees of Grasslands National Park

Traditional Camping under the Prairie Sky

Have you ever slept in a teepee?

Last September I drove through Grasslands National Park, in southern Saskatchewan, one of many stops along my epic cross-Canada roadtrip, where I visited a National Park in each province. As the name suggests, Grasslands is wide open, with rolling hills, few trees, large expanses of prairie and a big, open and unpolluted sky. It's a beautiful location to stay the night and watch the stars, but if you want to take your camping experience up a notch, consider renting a teepee.

I've spent nights in a teepee before, and loved it: they're more spacious than a tent (lots of headroom!), but still rustic enough that you feel connected to the outdoors. Because the ones in Grasslands were vacant on this particular night (late in the season), I was able to spend some time lighting the canvas from inside with a flashlight and photographing these traditional shelters under the moon and stars.

My version of shadow puppets. Posing for this is not as easy as it looks.

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A little northern magic

As if the starry, starry sky itself wasn't sufficient, I was thrilled later that evening when the Northern Lights splashed some color onto the firmament, the first of many Aurora displays photographed on this trip, and a good opportunity to make one of my trademark "staring pensively into the distance while standing awkwardly" selfies.

Seeing these photos, are you more or less likely to camp in a teepee?

Or would you rather spend that night outside of a teepee with a camera and a flashlight, or just lie on your back in the grass and stare at the stars, or stay at home and look at pictures of the night sky on your computer? Let me know what you think!